PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The semifinals of the Pennsylvania high school state basketball championships will be held March 21-22, but if you’re planning to attend, you’ll need to buy your tickets online. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) does not allow cash sales at the door — a policy new legislation in Harrisburg aims to change.
Adams County Republican Rep. Dan Moul introduced the bill, which would still allow online ticket sales but would also make cash an acceptable form of payment for school-sponsored sporting events and activities across the state.
“What this does is it disenfranchises a whole plethora of people, senior citizens, especially we have watched over and over and over again, senior citizens standing outside the gate not knowing how to get in,” he said.
He added that the policy also affects children who may be too young to have a phone but want to watch a sibling or friend play.
Currently, the PIAA requires all tickets to be bought through the website hometownticketing.com, which tacks on a 16% processing fee. For an $8 ticket, that adds $1.51.
Moul said when he contacted the PIAA’s executive director, he was told he was the only person who complained.
The PIAA sent lawmakers a letter saying all pro and major college teams in Pennsylvania require cashless entry, prompting Moul to quip:
“Wait a minute. We are not going to Beaver Stadium here. We're going to see our children and grandchildren at our local high school, guys,” he said.
Moul’s bill passed the House Commerce Committee unanimously and is headed to the full House for consideration.